Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-09-08
Prosecuted Utes.

Prosecuted Utes.
When all the various reports in re-
gard to the recent trouble with the
Utes are sifted to find the gram of
wheat in the bushel of chat, it appears
that the Indians are not so much at
fault after all and that the difficulties
came from an attempt to force the In
dams off their reservation. II is the
same old story repeated since the days
when the whites first invaded the red
mans domain, greed of land forever
warning against ancestral rights
The Indian, once possessing
all the land, has been pushed westward,
driven from one reservation to another
regardless of pledges, until now his sole
inheritance is reduced to few acres of
worthless land held on the insecure
tenure of governmental promises with
always Mental Reservation on the part
Of government TO kick them off should
it SO choose. In 1909 when Hendrick
Hudson landed off New York Island,
the Delaware Indians in great numbers
stood on the shore to receive him, ex-
claiming in their innocence, "Bohold
the gods have come to visit us" At
that time they possessed all the fertile
region round about. The goods who
visited them visited them in wrath.
One reservation after another was
given them and taken away and they
were driven westward, to the Ohio,
to the Mississippi into Kansas into the
Indian Territory. until at present there
remains of this once powerful people, a
mere handful -elghtY-one in lumber,
living on small reservation in the
Indian Territory.
The Cheyennes possessed in 1925 all
the land between the Black Hills and
the Rocky Mountains, a meagre reser-
walton in the Indian Territory serves
them to-day. The history OF Sioux.
Ninnebagoes, Poncas, Nez Perces,
Cherokees, Apaches, Utes and all other
tribes has been the same. Since the
discovery of gold in Colorado the Ute In
dams have been pushed off their lands
with promises of annual payments
never fulfilled There has been more
or less trouble, but of late years, peace.
During the negotiations prior to the re-
moval of the Uncompahgre and White
River Utes to their present reservation,
Colorou refused to give his assent to
the project. Captain Jack, Colorou
and their bands refused to go. Cap
tain Jack was killed later at Washakie.
Colorou insisted that he had never bar
gained away his home and that he
would not leave Colorado.Si then he
has lived there peaceably with a follow
ing of fifteen bucks. More have recen-
tlv Joined him. A trustworthy authority
saws s'Colorou has committed no depre-
dations though on one or two occasions
men of his band have been killed by the
whites. The people of Colorado have
been trying since the rest of the Utes
have been removed to get rid of Colorou
but he has obstinately refused to move
on" the country, he says, is his. The
people are thoroughly hostile toward
them, and under the influence of this
feeling the sheriff procured indictments
against some of the Utes for breaking
the game laws. The spark applied the
state broke out in flame, which now
seems to have about burned out. The
horse thief story is circulated and may
be true; but it appears from all can
learn that the whites have stolen fifty
animals to the Indians one" The In
dians have gone back to their reserva-
ton and the troops called out to subdue
them have contented themselves with
capturing 800 of their ponies and 5000
of their sheep. The government has
ordered them turned over to the Ind
ians but it is not believed they will ever
be found Nine tenths of our Indian
troubles have grown out of injustice
on the part of the whites and the recent
trouble proves no exception to the rule.
Their will be no justice this side OF the
grave for the red man until public
opinion grown liberal in so much shall
cry out in his behalf.